Angel Food Cake

Have you ever been in a grocery store and in the bakery there are a ton of “angel food” cakes? They’re really not that hard to make and with a few tips, here’s a no fail way to succeed at making one from scratch!

Ingredients:

DRY mixture:

1/2 C Granulated Sugar

1 C Cake Flour

¼ t salt

WET mixture:

12 large egg whites, room temp

1 t cream of tartar

1 C granulated sugar

2 t pure vanilla extract

Other Stuff:

Hand Held/ Stand mixer with beater/whisk attachment

Fine mesh sieve

Large bowl for measuring

Large, wide bowl for mixing.

Removable bottom 10" flute pan

Vinegar or lemon juice for cleaning bowl

“safety bowl” for separating eggs

Instructions:

Separate eggs and make sure they are to room temperature before beginning your other prep. Preheat oven to 350 Deg F with one wrack positioned directly in the center of the oven.

In a bowl, measure out the cake flour and sift with ½ C sugar and salt thrice. I like to use my other large mixing bowl to alternate finishing so that the wide bowl is empty. After the final time, whisk just to be sure they are well combined. Set this Dry mixture aside.

In your stand mixer put all of the egg whites in and beat for about 30 seconds to break them up. Add in your cream of tartar and beat for about 2-3 minutes until you can see whisk streaks in the mixture (soft peaks). Then gradually add the 1 C of granulated sugar about a tablespoon at a time to ensure that the sugar dissolves between each addition. Once all of the sugar is in, beat until you have stiff peaks (about another 2-3 minutes). Check just to be sure that the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a bit between your fingers. If not yet dissolved, whisk for a little while longer.

Transfer the meringue to the wide bowl and in three additions, fold in the dry ingredient mixture. “Down the middle and around the outside” between each addition of the dry ingredients. Be sure to turn bowl as you go and go all the way under once or twice to ensure no dry pockets are left unincorporated.

Transfer to UNGREASED fluted pan in “dollops.” Then with an offset spatula or butter knife, zig zag through the batter to decrease air pockets.

Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 38). Do not open oven for first 30 minutes.

The cake is done when a toothpick inserted at the halfway point between the flute and the rim comes out clean. Invert the cake on the feet of the pan or with a bottle in the center of the fluteto cool for 1 ½ -2 hours.

Unmold by running a butter knife or a flat skinny spatula along the edges and flute. Pop out the flute and then run the knife between the cake and the bottom of the pan to remove.

The cake will keep about 2-3 days (if it lasts that long) at room temp in airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Though it can stand alone, served with whipped cream and freshly macerated fruit, it’s amazing!